Our Sunday night program is focused on equipping each of us to be Soldiers of Christ. The idea of the church being His army is certainly Biblical. Paul speaks of “the weapons of our warfare” (2 Cor. 10:4) and urges that we take on ourselves “the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:11) and the “armor of righteousness” (2 Cor. 6:7). He urges that we “endure hardship as a good soldier” (2 Tim. 2:3) and “wage a good warfare” (1 Tim. 1:18). There are four things every soldier must know.
We must know our enemy. If we are to be victorious, we must know all that we can about our enemy. The Bible portrays him as being shrewd and cunning in the attempts he makes to defeat us. We must never lose sight of the fact that he lies and what he offers to us comes from the father of lies (John 8:44). While he promises liberty, the end result is bondage. He can be defeated and put to flight, for we have the weapons to defeat him.
We must know our weaknesses. Soldiers of Christ must never overestimate our own strength. Our Commander, who knows us and our enemy, urges those who think they stand to “take heed lest we fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). He also has told each soldier “not to think more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly” (Rom. 12:3). A true appreciation of what others might view as weaknesses actually become sources of real strength (2 Cor. 12:10).
We must know our strengths. One of the sources of great confidence is the fact that the One who is in us is “greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Our enemy does not have a single “fiery dart” in all of his weapons that can penetrate our “shield of faith” (Eph. 6:16). “This is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith” (1 John 5:4).
We must know our weapons. The sword He has given us is almighty! It gives to us the breastplate of righteousness; it girds our waist with truth; it produces a shield of faith! This is why our Sunday evening program is so important. It is those hours we spend together sharpening this sword that prepare us for whatever may come. Keep in mind that there is no scabbard or holster for the sword. It must reside in our hearts. David said it best, “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Ps. 119:11). Remember we are not trying to memorize the Bible in our heads, but write it upon our hearts.
By the way, there is no armor for our backside!